1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a universal remote control system including a remote control of the type which is hand held and which can be coupled via coded infrared signals with a remote control receiver built into a television or other remotely controlled electrical apparatus to turn on the apparatus, such as the television, at a distance, to adjust the volume, tone and brightness, to change channels, and to turn the television off and a data transmission system for inputting data to the remote control.
2. Description of the related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR Sections 1.97-1.99
Heretofore it has been proposed to provide a reconfigurable remote control device and programmable functions for such a remote control device which will enable one to learn, store and retransmit infrared codes that are emitted from the controller for a remotely controlled apparatus, such as a television.
For example, in the Welles II U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,887 and the Ehlers U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,848, there is disclosed a reconfigurable remote control device which has the ability to learn, store and repeat remote control codes from any other infrared transmitter. Such a reconfigurable remote control transmitter device includes an infrared receiver, a microprocessor, a non-volatile random access memory, a scratch pad random access memory, and an infrared transmitter.
According to the teachings of the Ehlers patent, the infrared signals received by the remote control device are in bursts of pulses and the device counts the number of pulses in each burst as well as the time duration of each pause in a transmission between bursts.
The Evans et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,200 which issued on Apr. 25, 1989 on application Ser. No. 66,833 filed on Jun. 25, 1987, teaches a reconfigurable remote control transmitter that includes a learn mode and a run mode and is similar to the remote control system disclosed in the Ehlers patent.
Evans et al. does not teach or suggest the provision in a universal remote control of data coupling means including terminal means (such as serial ports) coupled to a CPU for enabling code data to be supplied from outside the remote control through the terminal means and CPU to a memory of the remote control.
The Imoto U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,283 teaches a system for the collecting of operating codes from various remote control transmitters by inputting the code data therefrom via infrared code signals to an infrared receiving diode at an input of the system, deciphering those code signals, storing them in a RAM and then upon operation of keys, supplying outputs via one of several cables extending from outputs of the system to devices to be controlled.
Imoto does not teach means for outputting infrared code signals nor does Imoto teach in a remote control, terminal means coupled to a CPU for supplying code data from outside the remote control through the terminal means and the CPU to a memory of the remote control.